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          What is the difference between                                                    What Is Creative Commons?                                                                 Creative Commons makes sharing easy 

          CC0 and the Public Domain Mark?                                                   Creative Commons is a global nonprofit organization  

                                                                                            dedicated to supporting an open and accessible Internet  

                                                                                            that is enriched with free knowledge and creative resources  

                            CC0 (“CC Zero”) is intended for use only  

                                                                                            for people around the world to use, share, and cultivate. 

                            by authors or holders of copyright and  

          related rights (including database rights), in connection                         Our easy-to-use licenses provide a simple, standardized way                                Guide to  

          with works that are still subject to those rights in one or                       to give the public permission to share and use your creative  

          more countries.                                                                   work — on conditions of your choice. CC licenses let you  

                                                                                            change your copyright terms from the default of “all rights  

          When CC0 is applied to a work, copyright and related                              reserved” to “some rights reserved.”                                                       using public  

          rights are relinquished worldwide, making the work free  

                                                                                             Millions of people use CC licenses on some of the world’s  

          from those restrictions to the greatest extent possible. 

                                                                                            most popular platforms for user-generated content. When  

                                                                                            you use a CC license to share your photos, videos, or blog,                               domain tools 

                           The Public Domain Mark (PDM) is used  

                                                                                            your creation joins a globally accessible pool of resources  

                           to label works that are already free of  

                                                                                            that includes the work of artists, educators, scientists, and  

          known copyright restrictions. Unlike CC0, PDM doesn’t                             governments. 

          change the copyright status of a work. 



          PDM can be used by anyone, and is intended for use                                       Creative Commons has waived all copyright and  

          with works that are already free of known copyright                                      related or neighboring rights to this guide using the  

                                                                                                   CC0 Public Domain Dedication. 

          restrictions throughout the world.  



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Public domain works are valuable because anyone                                            The CC0 Public Domain Dedication                                                           Public Domain Mark 

can freely build upon, enhance, and reuse them for  

                                                                                           Use this universal tool if you are a holder of copyright or database                       Use this tool if you have identified a work that is free of known   

any purposes without restriction under copyright                                           rights, and wish to waive all your rights to the work worldwide.                          copyright restrictions. 

or database law. 



That’s why it’s important for creators to have a clear and  

legally robust way to place their works in the public domain as  

completely as possible, and it’s also important for publishers  

and archives to have a standardized way to identify works that  

are already in the public domain.                                                          By using CC0, you waive all copyright and related rights                                   Works marked with the Public Domain Mark have been  

                                                                                           together with all associated claims and causes of action with                              identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright  

Creative Commons supports two distinct public domain tools,                                respect to this work to the extent possible under the law.                                 law, including all related and neighboring rights. Anyone can  

the CC0 Public Domain Dedication and the Public Domain                                                                                                                                copy, modify, distribute, and perform such works, even for  

Mark. Creative Commons copyright licenses help authors                                     Applying CC0 to your work is easy. Simply visit the CC0 chooser  

                                                                                                                                                                                      commercial purposes, all without asking permission. 

manage their copyright on terms they choose. Conversely, CC0                               (http://creativecommons.org/choose/zero) which will lead you  

enables authors and copyright owners who want to dedicate                                  through the process. When completed, you will be provided                                 Applying the PDM to a work is easy. Simply visit the PDM  

their works to the worldwide public domain to do so, and PDM                               with HTML code that you can copy and paste into your website.                              chooser (http://creativecommons.org/choose/mark) which  

facilitates the labeling and discovery of works that are already                           You let others copy, modify, distribute, and perform the work,                             will lead you through the proces. When completed, you will be  

                                                                                                                                                                                      provided with the HTML code that you can copy and paste into  

free of known copyright restrictions.                                                      even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.  

                                                                                                                                                                                     your website. 

Where public domain tools fit in the copyright spectrum 

                                                                                                                                                                                      Creative Commons does not recommend this tool for works that  

                                                                                                                                                                                      are restricted by copyright laws in one or more jurisdictions.  

             CC0 

             Public                                                                                                                                                                   Consult with your legal advisor if you are unsure whether you  

             domain                  Some rights               All rights                                                                                                            should use the PDM for a certain work. 

                                     reserved                  reserved 

             PDM 

             No known  

             copyright 



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